Choice
by DarknessofDawn
Summary: Every wolf since the first has been give a choice. Where to run, where to escape to. But when a wolf's choice has been take away, will they give everything to recover it? AU.
1. Captive

Title: Choice

Disclaimer: I don't even claim to own Wolf's Rain. It's a fabulous anime without my tampering, so I suggest for everyone to watch it.

Loki is one of my characters, though, and I would be very sad if you took her. –tear-

Warning: This story is an A/U. There is angst and death.

Rating: P.G.ish for violence.

Pairing: None for the entire story.

Author's Notes: This here is a short story that I've been planning for a while now. It's not going to be very long; ten chapters at absolute most, probably shorter.

I hope that you like it. It is about a young she-wolf who's had a very hard time, as you'll soon see.

Read and review!

_-cutscene-_

Chapter One-Captive

'Where am I…? W-what is all this?'

Lying on the operating table, the massive canine slowly opened her eyes. She could dimly see the figures of men wearing white uniforms moving around her.

"The teat subject has awakened, Sir. What do you wish for us to do about it?"

"Increase the sedative dosage, and perform more tests."

"Sir, if we increase the dosage, the subject could very well slip into a coma and die!"

"That's an order!!!"

"Yes Sir!"

There were more voices, more words that she could only half-understand. As she struggled harder to listen, it seemed to be a heavy blanket was placed over her.

Unable to fight the growing weight, she finally slipped back into the overly familiar darkness.

_-cutscene-_

The next time she happened to awaken, she was in a small cage which disallowed any movement other that a cramped sit. A woman scientist stood before her, speaking into a recorder.

"Test subject XP-78120 has recently shown signs of increased activity and awareness of its surroundings. It has already proven its ability to kill humans; we have had it face off against a group of terrorists we've captured, with wonderful results. However, we still need to capture a wolf to further broaden the testing…"

The woman paused for a moment, sighed, and then wiped her eyes tiredly. That done, she continued.

"Genetic engineering has created this current test subject, among others that showed signs of deformity and insanity that had to later be destroyed. XP-78120 is our first proven success, the only one since the Project was begun. By increasing its speed, intelligence, and strength; we have created the perfect Bio-Weapon."

The scientist finished, shutting off the recorder and took a closer look at the canine huddled in the cage.

"You poor devil."

The woman shook her head, and walked off.

She watched her go, confused. The woman's words were a jumbled mess, yet she knew that there was meaning behind them somehow.

'What am I?'

_-cutscene-_

End Notes: Hm…Chapter One is completed. Personally, I like how this chapter came out…it leaves you (the reader) hanging. I'll work on Chapter Two here soon, I promise.


	2. Confrontation

Chapter Two- Confrontation

Disclaimer: I don't even claim to own Wolf's Rain. It's a fabulous anime without my tampering, so I suggest for everyone to watch it.

Loki is one of my characters, though, and I would be very sad if you took her. –tear-

Warning: This story is an A/U. There is angst and death.

Rating: P.G.ish for violence.

Pairing: None for the entire story.

Author's Notes: Here we are! Chapter Two! Kiba and the others are in this chapter!!!

Read and review!

_-cutscene-_

Chapter Two-Confrontation

She had never known freedom. Warm earth under her paws as she ran in the cool night air. The full moon warm against her back.

Cold, hard concrete and tile flooring. Stark white walls. The cruel hands of man always poking and prodding her.

Yes, she had felt the moon call out to her. Yet she did not know it for what it really was. She had never seen the moon.

That was the life she lived.

She knew no other…

_-cutscene-_

Lying in the cage, she felt something as she watched the scientists and military officials patter around like usual. Night and day were the same in this place-as if there was no concept of time.

This wasn't the moon.

Suddenly, alarms went off; red lights flashed a dire warning. People started running all over the place.

She continued to lay there in her cage, not allowing herself to panic because of the whirring noise.

_-cutscene-_

Cheza, Kiba, Tsume, Hige, and Toboe walked unnoticed through the town. It was a seedy place, but always kept in order by the unusual number of military personnel.

A large group of people stood around the chain-link fence surrounding the Medical Facility and stared inside.

As the wolves turned to leave, Cheza raced over to the fence, her hands placed on it as she stared in as well. The others followed her, confused.

"What is it Cheza?"

Kiba asked, not seeing anything of interest about the place. Just another building to him, that was all.

"This one senses something. Much pain."

She answered; her pink eyes wide.

Tsume turned to one of the human onlookers.

"What is going on here?"

The man barely glanced at Tsume.

"Protesters broke into the lab to find proof that they are performing illegal experiments…"

_-cutscene- _

Two men approached her cage, peering intently at her. She felt the fur on the back of her neck bristle as she watched them warily.

"Hey, look at this dog."

One man knelt down, pressing a hand against the cage.

"The poor thing."

"Don't get too close; it could be dangerous."

"I like dogs. I'm letting it out."

He unlatched the cage, opening the door. It cost the man his hand for his effort.

Screams followed her as she ran from the cage and the room out into the hall. One of the scientists who had worked on her walked around a corner, saw her, and then froze. With a shriek, he ran in the other direction, alerting everyone that the test subject had escaped.

She ran…in the opposite direction.

_-cutscene- _

Outside, most of the protesters had been captured and forced to 'kiss the ground'. A military guy received a call from inside.

"What?! It's escaped!!"

"What escaped?"

Hige murmured softly, glancing at the silent Cheza, who didn't stop watching the building.

One of the soldiers ran into the building, and abruptly there was a scream. Padding out uncertainly, she glanced up. Her eyes meet those of Cheza briefly, and then she was off. Reaching the west side of the chain-link fence, she hurled herself over it.

"Don't let it escape!!!"

Gun fire peppered the ground around her. She faltered, no less than five of those bullets just barely missing her, and then continued to run.

Cheza gasped.

"A wolf?!"

-cutscene-

End Notes: -coughcough- Sorry…I have a bad cold right now. Don't worry; it just gives me more time to write. Although I wish that this cough would just go away…


	3. Meeting

Chapter Three-Meeting

Disclaimer: I don't even claim to own Wolf's Rain. It's a fabulous anime without my tampering, so I suggest for everyone to watch it.

Loki is one of my characters, though, and I would be very sad if you took her. –tear-

Warning: This story is an A/U. There is angst and death.

Rating: P.G.ish for violence.

Pairing: None for the entire story.

Author's Notes: -hums softly- Three chapters in one day. Now you know that I need a life… -coughcough- Oh, that's right. I do have one. It's just run off. –sniff- -curls around her Tsume plushie- I'll have to stop typing after this chapter's done until I get better.

Read and review… -sneeze-

_-cutscene-_

Chapter Three-Meeting

Somehow the lone femora knew about Paradise and the meaning behind the Lunar Flowers; it was a part fo her. But she had no idea what it was or where to find it.

'I'll follow my nose…'

She decided, descending from the city and to the snowy tundra. Taking deep breaths, she could smell nothing.

'Hm. Maybe this isn't the right way.'

Her ears flickered, and she could hear voices nearby.

'Huh?'

There was also a flicker of more gunfire; which made her even more skittish.

Scaling the rocky outcropping to the side of her, she peered over the side and managed to stay out of sight.

It was four male wolves, but the person that she noticed first was the strange-smelling woman with the unusual company. The wolves seemed to be protecting her from an armed unit of soldiers for some reason. If it was her…well…she would have already ditched the person and saved her own fur.

_-cutscene-_

"Hand the flower maiden over!"

One of the men yelled at the five. When Kiba refused, he hefted the gun and pointed it at the closest wolf. Tsume.

However, before he could fire, a blank blur crashed into him from the rocky cliff to their side. The gun fired, bullets completely missing everyone.

"What the hell!?!"

Tsume was knocked back, trying to avoid the bullets. The other soldiers opened fired on the attacking creature, most bullets missing. Another two fell before they even knew quite what had hit them.

Firing behind them, the surviving soldiers ran away. One was lucky, and the black canine was hit by three iron-tipped bullets.

Whimpering from the agony, she, too, ran away as fast as her injured body could go.

"Woah."

Toboe blinked several times from his position beside Hige.

"That wolf was familiar."

Kiba murmured quietly.

Cheza stood there, staring at the bloodstains on the ground. Tears spilled down the side of her face.

"Is there something wrong, Cheza?"

Hige asked, looking closely at her.

"This one…this one cannot understand."

Before the wolves could ask Cheza what she meant, she ran off; following the path that the she-wolf took. With a shared shrug, the guys all ran after her.

_-cutscene-_

Pain.

That was the first and foremost thought resounding in her mind.

Wet.

The lower half of her body was submerged in the freezing lake water, where she had ended up sliding into when her legs had finally gave out while she was running on the steep path.

It was over.

She tried to stand up again. She couldn't even raise her head.

It really was over…

_-cutscene-_

Cheza knelt down by the limp body. At odd intervals; the wolf took a sharp breath, but as the minutes ticked by the breaths seemed to dwindle and grow even weaker.

Cheza ran her fingers through the ebony fur, pulling them away to find them completely covered with blood.

She was still alive. That was all Cheza needed.

A pink glow radiated from her hands. She wasn't strong enough to heal the she-wolf all the way, but she could at least stabilize her enough that she could heal on her own.

Enough.

When Cheza tried to pull the wolf from what would have been her watery grave, a light touch stopped her.

"Kiba?"

The white wolf lifted the young female with the help of Tsume, and they took her to dry at the fire that Hige and Toboe had already started.

"Will she live?"

"This one did all that this one could do. This one hopes so."

_-cutscene-_

End Notes: Eh, hope I go all those 'This one's right. Cheza and the way she speaks. Uh. Oh well. –coughsneeze- Well, until I get better… This is Kadiska-chan, signing out.


End file.
